While many search their whole lives for their calling, Datuk Syafinaz Selamat found hers at the early age of seven. Though some would argue that it was the work of destiny, there were instances in her life where she had to fight for what she wanted, even if it meant arguing with her biggest supporters and going against their wishes – proving that her illustrious career is indeed by design. We take a trip down memory lane with the songbird herself, and along the way, discovered why she is most fitting as our role model for this month's Women's Issue.
The year was 1980. A young girl, the youngest of 11 siblings, born in the Pontian district of Johor Darul Ta’zim tagged along with her sister to a birthday party. There, the event host loudly asked, “Siapa nak menyanyi? (Who wants to sing?)” A little girl’s tiny, eager hand shot up enthusiastically before she made her way to the stage to sing a children’s song—Papaku Balik Dari Kota—and stunned the audience. That, was the beginning of seven-year-old Syafinaz’s path to eventual stardom.
Growing up in a house filled with a family that was truly in love with music makes it easy to believe that Syafinaz was simply born into it. “We’re either singing or dancing, my parents loved it,” said Syafinaz, before letting us in on the secret that her mother has a karaoke set, four speakers and 10 microphones at home, because she simply loved singing; and would reserve the best microphone for Syafinaz.
We’re either singing or dancing, my parents loved it.
Despite being born into a musically-inclined family, Syafinaz herself was tenacious and vehement since young—as demonstrated by her courageous choice to sing in front of a large audience at just seven years old. When she was in Standard One, she entered a singing competition in school. One of the teachers, who had a daughter of her own, paired them up and turned them into a performing duet. From then on, the two would perform year after year on stage. “Whether it was Teacher’s Day, Children’s Day, Whatever-It-Is Day, you’d have seen us on stage,” Syafinaz recalled with a fond laugh. “We even started singing on television when we were nine and called ourselves Syafinaz & Eliza. Though when I turned 16, Eliza decided to stop singing and I went on my own path and got my first offer for an album.”
